Video spam: Oh, the
possibilities...

A new kind of junk mail is poised to fill inboxes in the near future: mp3 spam.

The format fools spam filters by posing as a cellphone ringtone, using file names like JustinTimberlake.mp3 and weighing under 100 kilobytes, according to the New York Times.

Once opened, a computer-synthesized voice rattles off "hot deals." The Times has posted an example of a female voice selling penny stock.

Though it's unlikely to send would-be investors to their portfolios, the spam may be a sign of what's to come.

Product Director Rami Habal of anti-spam company Proofpoint envisions a new age of video spam just over the horizon.
"It’s the Max Headroom effect," he tells the Times. "We’ll see images of spammers blurred faces showing fake Rolexes. I think they are going to have a lot of fun with it."